CO Legislature Moves To Establish Marijuana Testing References

The measure, House Bill 1283, would set up a “reference library” for labs to help ensure that methodologies and therefore testing results become more uniform across the state. Currently, testing is required for recreational marijuana but not medical.

The Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce applauded the move in a statement, saying that some of their members had found as much as 40% range in results between labs for the same batch of product.

“The mandatory testing requirements for retail marijuana were put into place before there were standards established for the labs,” Chamber President Tyler Henson said in the statement. “Unfortunately this led to a wide disparity in testing results from lab to lab.”

The lack of reference libraries or reference labs willing work with the marijuana industry has significantly hampered development of reliable testing methodologies across the country, even as more states require it.

Henson noted that one reason standards are important – especially for edibles companies – is because if a single dose is found to be even a single milligram over the 10-milligram limit, the entire batch is required to be destroyed, which can cost companies thousands.